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Authors are grateful to the Spanish Government for its financial support with the project AGL2011-30519-CO3-03, and for the scholarship BES-2009-027752 (G. Buron-Moles). The authors are indebted to Dr. Pablo Librado from 'Departament de Genetica. UB' for the bioinformatician support and to Celia Sanchez from 'IRTA' for her excellent technical assistance. We also would like to thank Dr. Isabel Sanchez and Dr. M. Alba Sorolla from the 'Servei de Genomica i Proteomica; UdL' for helping on peptide mass fingerprinting and MS-MS. Erik Burchard is acknowledged for his assistance in conducting the RT-qPCR experiments.

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Buron-Moles, GAuthorTeixido, NAuthorUsall, JAuthorTorres, RCorresponding Author

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September 20, 2017
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Characterizing the proteome and oxi-proteome of apple in response to a host (Penicillium expansum) and a non-host (Penicillium digitatum) pathogen

Publicated to:Journal Of Proteomics. 114 136-151 - 2015-01-30 114(), DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2014.11.007

Authors: Buron-Moles, Gemma; Wisniewski, Michael; Vinas, Inmaculada; Teixido, Neus; Usall, Josep; Droby, Samir; Torres, Rosario

Affiliations

ARO, Volcani Ctr, Dept Postharvest Sci, IL-50250 Bet Dagan, Israel - Author
IRTA, XaRTA Postharvest, Lleida 25198, Catalonia, Spain - Author
Lleida Univ, Dept Food Technol, XaRTA Postharvest, Agrotecnio Ctr, Lleida 25198, Catalonia, Spain - Author
Postcollita. IRTA Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias - Author
Producció Vegetal. IRTA Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias - Author
USDA ARS, Appalachian Fruit Res Stn, Kearneysville, WV 25430 USA - Author
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Abstract

Apples are subjected to both abiotic and biotic stresses during the postharvest period, which lead to large economic losses worldwide. To obtain biochemical insights into apple defense response, we monitored the protein abundance changes (proteome), as well as the protein carbonyls (oxi-proteome) formed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in 'Golden Smoothee' apple in response to wounding, Penicillium expansum (host) and Penicillium digitatum (non-host) pathogens with select transcriptional studies. To examine the biological relevance of the results, we described quantitative and oxidative protein changes into the gene ontology functional categories, as well as into de KEGG pathways. We identified 26 proteins that differentially changed in abundance in response to wounding, P. expansum or P. digitatum infection. While these changes showed some similarities between the apple responses and abiotic and biotic stresses, Mal d 1.03A case, other proteins as Mal d 1.03E and EF-Tu were specifically induced in response to P. digitatum infection. Using a protein carbonyl detection method based on fluorescent Bodipy, we detected and identified 27 oxidized proteins as sensitive ROS targets. These ROS target proteins were related to metabolism processes, suggesting that this process plays a leading role in apple fruit defense response against abiotic and biotic stresses. ACC oxidase and two glutamine synthetases showed the highest protein oxidation level in response to P. digitatum infection. Documenting changes in the proteome and, specifically in oxi-proteome of apple can provide information that can be used to better understand how impaired protein functions may affect apple defense mechanisms. Possible mechanisms by which these modified proteins are involved in fruit defense response are discussed.Mechanical damage in apple fruits is linked annually to large economic losses due to opportunistic infection by postharvest pathogens, such as P. expansum. Despite the current use of chemical fungicides and the implementation of new alternative strategies, blue mold remains a critical disease of these stored fruits worldwide. Actual trends are focused on acquiring the knowledge of the host-pathogen interactions because it may help on finding new rational and environmentally friendly control alternatives. Despite the economic importance of some postharvest diseases, proteomics has only been applied in a few cases to study fruit-pathogen interactions. On the one hand, this is the first study that monitored changes at the proteome and oxi-proteome level in 'Golden Smoothee' apple fruits in response to P. expansum (compatible) and P. digitatum (non-host) pathogens. On the other hand, the main technological innovation of the reported research is the detection and quantification of oxidized (carbonylated) proteins to assess protein oxidative damage, avoiding the immunoblotting technique. The importance of the biological process investigated lies in the different mechanisms induced in fruit in response to P. expansum and P. digitatum. Results revealed that fruit recognizes and reacts to P. expansum in a similar manner to wounding, while its response to P. digitatum exhibits few differences in the protein profile. Documenting changes in the proteome and, specifically in oxi-proteome of apple can provide information that can be used to better understand how impaired protein functions may affect apple defense mechanisms. It also provides new biomarkers for oxidative damage mainly caused by the oxidative response occurring in fruit tissue in response to a host and a non-host pathogen.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

blue moldexpressionfruitgene familygreen moldhydrogen-peroxideinfectionmalus domesticaoxidative stressprotein oxidationresistancert-qpcrsalicylic-acidtranscription factorBlue moldDefense-related proteinsElectrophoresis, gel, two-dimensionalFruitGreen moldHost specificityHost-pathogen interactionsMalusMalus domesticaOxidation-reductionOxidative stressPenicilliumPlant diseasesPlant proteinsProtein oxidationProteomeReactive oxygen speciesRt-qpcrStress, physiological

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Journal Of Proteomics due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2015, it was in position 15/77, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Biochemical Research Methods.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 2.14, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-08, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 24
  • Scopus: 14
  • Europe PMC: 5

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-08:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 76 (PlumX).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Israel; United States of America.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (BURON MOLES, GEMMA) and Last Author (TORRES SANCHIS, ROSARIO).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been TORRES SANCHIS, ROSARIO.